Ordinary Americans can't buy intelligent, self-driving cars just yet, but the technology could someday revolutionize one of the nation's most common road rituals—the morning and evening commutes that bookend the workday for millions of people.

Having already designed an SUV that drives itself, a project group at the University of Texas is now working on the technological next step: an autonomous intersection that lets driverless vehicles navigate without stoplights or stop signs.

Imagine driving down a street at rush hour. It’s a typical commute, but this time, you’re reading a newspaper in the backseat. The driver’s seat is empty—your car is driving itself. Sounds like a fantasy, right?

Marvin, a self-driving Isuzu SUV programmed by University of Texas at Austin computer scientists and members of Austin Robot Technology (ART), passed a recent driving test and will advance to the semifinals of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) 2007 Urban Challenge race.